There are four seasons in Canada: winter, spring, summer and apple season. While we do have locally grown apples pretty well throughout the year, there’s nothing to match the pleasure of biting into a juicy September McIntosh – a bit tangy, eh? Or appreciating the sweet notes of a Gala or Honeycrisp. For the baker, now is the time to enjoy a choice of the perfect cooking apple: Northern Spy, Golden Delicious, Idared and more. In the recipes I have noted apples I prefer, but don’t hesitate to taste around.
And lovely as they are in a fruit basket, apples keep their crunch better in a perforated plastic bag – in your crisper.
Velvety Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Two stars of the fall harvest – butternut squash, the easiest squash to pare and cube, and apples like Canada’s McIntosh. The “Mac” is a colourful and crisp dessert apple. When cooked, Macs break down into a smooth sauce.
2 tbsp (30 mL) canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) mild curry paste or powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
6 cups (1.5 L) cubed, peeled butternut squash
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) cubed, cored and peeled apples
3 cups (750 mL) vegetable stock
1 tbsp (15 mL) grated fresh ginger root, optional
1 can (400 mL) coconut milk, well shaken
Garnish:
Hot sauce
Thinly sliced or diced apple with skin
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over low heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, curry paste, pepper and salt. Sweat the aromatic onion mixture, stirring every few minutes, until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the squash and apple, stirring them well.
Stir in the vegetable stock; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the apples and squash are very tender. Stir in the ginger, if using. Ideally let the soup cool down for 15 minutes, then purée with a handheld blender right in the pot. Or, transfer to a stand blender to purée the soup. Lots of options, such as pressing the soup through a food mill. (Make-ahead: Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat to continue.)
To serve, stir in the coconut milk and heat to steaming. Taste, adjusting seasoning or liquid the way you like. Over each bowl of soup, give a sprinkle of hot sauce and add a spoonful or two of diced apple for crunch.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Tip: The soup is vegan. If this is not a preference, replace the canola oil with butter, the vegetable stock with chicken stock, and the coconut milk with a light cream or more stock of your choice.
Fall Beet and Apple Salad
The sweetness of beets alongside a tart apple, the tenderness of beets alongside a crisp apple, the colour-forward of traditional red or golden beets compared with cool apple shades. A great combo. If you can, use crunchy locally grown Cortland, Granny Smith or Golden Delicious.
3 medium beets, red or golden varieties
2 large apples
1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup (160 mL) thinly sliced tender celery
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh dill
Chopped roasted pistachios or slivered almonds
Dressing:
3 tbsp (45 mL) canola oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) apple cider vinegar
2 tsp (10 mL) Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
Trim off beet leaves. (Save them to steam, like spinach or Swiss chard, for a supper side dish.) Scrub beets; cook, covered, in boiling salted water
until tender and skin slips off when gently prodded by a paring knife, about 45 minutes. Let cool and peel. Cut into 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) cubes; set aside.
Meanwhile, tend to the apples. Core, peel if desired, and cut into cubes, similar in size to the beets. In a bowl, toss apples with lemon juice, celery, onions and dill.
Dressing: In a bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. To serve, scoop about a quarter of the apple mixture into shallow salad bowls. Top with a quarter of the beets. Drizzle the dressing over the beets and garnish with nuts.
Makes 4 servings.
Chicken with Apple Wedges and a Whisper of Cinnamon
Cinnamon is not your usual spice with chicken but a nice surprise, especially with sweeter apples like Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious. The pan juices and thighs, always juicier and more succulent than chicken breasts, pair nicely with a side of baked or mashed white or yellow potatoes, sweet potatoes, even rice.
4 chicken thighs, skin on, boned, a little over 1 lb (450 grams)
1 large onion, peeled
1 large apple, halved and cored but not peeled
2 tbsp (30 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter or canola oil
1 cup (250 mL) chicken stock
2 tbsp (30 mL) apple cider vinegar
Trim off any excess skin and fat from the thighs; set thighs aside. Cut the onion into 8 wedges and each half of the apple into 4 wedges.
In a shallow dish such as a pie plate, combine the flour with the cinnamon, thyme, salt and pepper. Holding the chicken with tongs, roll the chicken in the seasoned flour; set aside on a plate or tray. Add the apples and onions to the seasoned flour mixture and press them until they are fairly well coated. Save any leftover flour mixture.
In an ovenproof skillet or pan, melt the butter over medium heat. First, brown the chicken on all sides, adjusting the heat as necessary to crisp but not burn the thighs, about 8 minutes; remove from the pan to a plate. Gently brown the apple and onion wedges, about 8 minutes again. Sprinkle on any remaining seasoned flour. Stir in the stock and cider vinegar. Working around the onion and apple, scrape up any tasty bits from the bottom of the skillet. Nestle the chicken, skin-side up, in the skillet; bring to a boil.
Cover and bake in the oven at 375°F (190°C) until the juices are clear when the thighs are pierced, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the skin has crisped and bronzed, another 10 or so minutes.
Makes 2 to 3 servings.
Tip: This is a tasty make-ahead dish, highly suited to more servings, whether you are adding more chairs to the table or the chicken is a “planned-over.” For 4 to 5 servings, simply double the ingredients, except for the butter that needs only 3 tbsp (45 mL). To store leftovers or planned-overs, let the chicken cool; cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat on the stovetop.
Honey-Glazed Baked Apples
In the fall, my thrifty mother always had bowls of apple sauce and pans of baked apples in the fridge in case any one of us needed a snack, a quick dessert or breakfast on the run. And we did. I find it a whole lot easier and a whole lot faster to halve and core the apples rather than leaving them whole and having to dig out the cores.
Gala, Golden Delicious
3/4 cup (180 mL) dried cranberries, or golden or Thompson raisins
1 cup (250 mL) water or apple juice
1/3 cup (80 mL) liquid honey, divided
2 tsp (10 mL) finely grated lemon rind
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tsp (5 mL) grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon
Cut apples in half, top to bottom. With a melon baller or teaspoon, scoop out the core. Arrange, overlapping a bit, in a 9-inch (23 cm) square baking dish. The size of the pan matters, but you have some flexibility. Mound the apple cavities with cranberries; set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine the water, all but 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the honey, the lemon rind and juice, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Drizzle over the apples, making sure cranberries have been doused.
Cover with lid or foil. Bake in 375°F (190°C) oven until apples are almost tender and puffed, about 30 minutes. Heat the remaining honey until it melts and brush over the surface of the apples. Return to the oven, now uncovered, and bake until liquid is slightly syrupy and apples are tender and lightly glossy, about 20 to 30 minutes. I like to baste the apples with the liquid a few times during this last half of the baking.
Serve warm with vanilla Greek yogurt. Makes 6 servings.
Apple Ginger Cake
This dark, moist apple-topped cake brings such pleasure and appreciation. Northern Spy, a good baking apple, would be my pick, but all our apples are contenders, even a sweet apple like Honeycrisp.
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground ginger
1/4 cup (60 mL) diced preserved ginger
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened
1 cup (250 mL) packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup (180 mL) sour cream
2/3 cup (160 mL) apple juice
4 cups (1 L) thickly sliced cored and peeled apples
3/4 cup (180 mL) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
Line the bottom and sides of a 10-inch (25 cm) tube pan with parchment paper or brush with butter. With the rack in the centre of the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground ginger. Add the preserved ginger, breaking it up if necessary.
In a large bowl with the help of a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter until light. Beat in the sugar. Beat a few minutes more until fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With a wooden spoon, stir in a third of the dry ingredients, then the sour cream, another third of the dry ingredients, the apple juice and finish off with the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape into the prepared pan; tap the pan a few times on the counter and smooth the top.
Topping: Press the apple slices, overlapping them as needed, about halfway into the batter. Heat the brown sugar with the butter and drizzle evenly over the apples. Bake until the apples are tender and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Let cool on a rack; remove the sides of the pan. To remove the bottom of the pan, cover the top of the pan with a flat plate and, gripping both the plate and pan, turn the cake over. Gently pull off the paper. Cover the cake with a flat serving plate; turn pan over again, revealing the beautiful round ring of cake.
A lovely cake, especially when warm. It will serve 8 generously.
Tip: If you don’t have a tube pan, bake your cake in a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
